RBN's favourite - Thanksgiving Recipe Round-Up!!!

Happy Thanksgiving my fellow Canadians!  WE love famjam & dinners here at RBN - and we especially love cooking for loved ones...

Decided to go through some past recipes and pick some that would work well to eliminate stress and worry over holiday cooking.  Easy chicken/turkey recipes, turkey stock, hummus, white bean stuffing, chocolate cupcakes and scones for the next morning!  Read up and share.  

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RBN Updated Pumpkin & Pear Soup 

Toast the seeds for an extra flavour profile!

What you'll need:

1 small pumpkin - peeled, seeded and cut into 1”cubes)

1 pear, chopped

2 small onions, diced

1 tsp - turmeric & curry

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

5-6 c. chicken/vegetable stock

100 ml coconut milk

Herb oil: Blend bunch of parsley & cilantro with 3 tbsp of evoo)

Sweat onions and carrots for 6 mins in EVOO.  Add cubes pumpkin and sauté for 15 mins.  Add spices, cover w/ stock, roughly 1” over ingredients and bring to a boil.  Cover partially, reduce heat and simmer for 45 mins.  Puree with immersion blender and finish with pumpkin seed oil and seeds OR yogurt and green onions.  Bon Appetite!

Turkey Stock

(great for gravy, soups and stuffing)

What you'll need:

1-2 turkey carcasses (hopefully with some meat left on)

1 whole garlic, cloves separated (roasted/braised in liquid)

2-4 onions, cut into rustic quarters

2 cups of roughly chopped aromatics: carrots, celery, parsnip, fennel, parsley, rosemary..

Enough water to nearly cover (3/4 way) bones and additional ingredients.

What to do: Two options

Stovetop:

Throw everything into a large stock pot.  Bring to boil.  Reduce and let simmer for at least 3-4 hours, until you've brought it to the desired concentrate.  Season with sea salt and pepper. 

Oven: 

Throw everything into turkey roasting pan. Cover and let simmer for 3-4 hours.  Season.

Separate liquid and meat OR store tog.  Can be kept in fridge for up to 5 days, freezes well for 3-5 months.  

GF Breakfast Savoury Scones

 

Ready to bake - 400/12 minutes

What you'll need:

1 c gluten-free flour (Bob's Red Mill)

1/4 plus 1 tsp white rice flour (brown is too dense)

1/4 c almond flour

2 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)

1/2 tsp Himalayan sea salt

60 ml cream or coconut cream

125 ml almond/cow/coconut milk

1 handful fresh basil (rosemary, thyme) 

2 cracks of fresh black pepper

Butter - to brush top.

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sift all flours & dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl.  Make a little well in the middle for wet ingredients.  Add wet ingredients slowly and incorporate enough - try not to over mix.  Lightly dust counter with AP flour.  Roll out batter into a giant scone (my favourite) or roll out and cut into 8 personal scones.  Brush with butter.  Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown.  Serve with butter, yogurt, fresh berries or preserves.  Not too sweet - not too savoury!

Pumpkin & white kidney bean hummus!

 

Heart health, delicious and oh so colourful!!!  Drool worthy, non?

What you'll need:

 1/2 c soaked & cooked white beans (black & chickpea would work too)

1 large sweet potato (1/2 baking pumpkin)

2 heads of garlic

1/2 fresh lemon

2 tsp tahini (nut butter works too)

1/2 c extra virgin olive oil

sea salt & pepper

chili peppers (optional)

2 tsp fresh cilantro

1 tsp cumin

What to do:

Preheat oven to 375. Peel sweet potato & cut into quarters. Cut tops of garlic, place in a foil wrapper with olive oil. Roast for 25-30 minutes until soft and sweet. Potatoes - Toss in olive oil and s & p.  Roast until soft, 45-60 minutes.  Once everything has cooled down, throw all ingredients into food processor/blender/vitamix.  Blend with small increments of evoo until smooth.  Can use a bit of the water used to cook beans too!  Blend until desired texture - I like it so it coats veg/crackers without being too thin.  Season with extra spice or acidity!  Finish with fresh herbs a drizzle of your best olive oil!  Serve with crudites, sweet potato chips, crackers or use as sub on your sandwiches/pizza.  

Variations:

1. Boil the sweet potatoes for a less "roasted" flavour.  Sub in your favourite squash or pumpkin.

2. For a fall hummus - add cayenne, ginger & cinnamon as your spices.  Curry would work amazing too.

3.  Finish with some goat cheese or feta for a zing!
4. Smear roasted garlic on crackers/toast with some cheese!
5. Toss in pasta with some roasted veggies & herbs.

Nutritional breakdown: Source of magnesium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium & copper.  Reduces inflammation, protects our heart & chalk full of anti-oxidants!

Loco-Cocao Muffins!

(Yields 6 large or 8/10 small) *Gluten-Free & Vegetarian

Dreamy and delicious cacao nibs!

What you'll need:

1 egg (organic, free-range, local if able)
1 banana* (1/2 cup apple sauce)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract (1/4 bean)
1/4 c coconut/flax/hemp oil (raw, cold-pressed, organic)
1-2 tbsp honey (raw) or maple syrup
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Blend.

In a separate bowl: Sift.

1 c gluten-free, AP flour**
1/4 c cacao powder/cocao if need be.
1/2 tsp baking soda (aluminum free)
1/2 c cacao nibs

 

What to do:  Preheat oven to 350.  Mix wet ingredients into dry.  Pour into muffin pan/liners - 3/4 full.  Cook for 20 or until cooked through.  Variations: Add nuts, melt chocolate and dip tops OR stuff a piece of dark salted choc on top/middle! Mmmm.

RBN Tips: * Ripe bananas are the best for baking.  Don't throw them out, store in freezer for baking.  Let defrost in a bowl of hot water - voila!

**Can use sprouted flour if gluten isn't a concern!

Smoked Paprika Turkey OR Chicken

What you'll need:

1 Blue Goose whole chicken OR Turkey! (Breast or thighs could work too)

2 lemons

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp Smoked or Spanish paprika 

3 tbsp EVOO

Sea salt & cracked pepper

What to do:

Preheat oven to 400.  Wash your chicken and dry thoroughly - may sound odd but I always do it!  May need to remove giblets or trim any excess fat.  Mix together 2 tbsp of EVOO, paprika, 1/2 lemon and S&P into a wet rub.   Rub all over chicken and try to save half of the marinade.  Stuff chicken with cooled down stuffing (recipe below).  Season with extra salt and pepper.  Cap stuffing with half a lemon (shown here) and add remaining stuffing into a small casserole dish and put aside.  Roast chicken for 20-25 minutes at 400.  Afterwards lower to 375 and bake an addition 40-55 minutes - this is a great time to re-marinade.  Using a thermometer - internal temp should be 180f (82c).   ***When there is roughly 20 minutes left add in extra stuffing to reheat.  Let rest for 10/12 minutes to allow juices to redistribute.  I served our chicken with roasted tomatoes and acorn squash, for a lighter meal add a spinach salad and some sautéed greens.

White Bean & Sausage Stuffing

(gf, serves 4)

What you'll need:

2 cups cooked white kidney beans (soaked method or org can)

3 Blue Goose paprika chicken sausages, diced

1 sweet onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Small handful fresh parsley

1/2 lemon juiced

1/2 tsp poultry spice

1 tbsp maple syrup

***optional

1 tbsp bourbon

1 tbsp raisins

What to do: 

Sauté onions and garlic until translucent.  Add in sausages and try to render and crisp up.  Add in beans and remaining ingredients EXCEPT parsley & bourbon.  Cook stuffing for 3-5 minutes, then finish with last ingredients.  Allow to cool before stuffing to prevent any burns.  Once chicken is done, remove stuffing into a bowl to serve.  Finish with fried sage leaves or more parsley & lemon

I hope this helps lessen the pressure Thanksgiving (great for American Thanksgiving & Christmas too) cooking!  I always recommend getting friends and especially kids involved - studies have shown that the more kids are involved, the less fussy they become later in life.  Which as we know is something that follows you to adulthood LOL.

To end here's a few RBN tips to help eliminate feeling bloated and lethargic all weekend:

 1. Start each morning with lemon water and movement.  Do a hike, run around the block, get a family football game going!

2. As a French girl - I will confess LOVE wine, but don't love how much sugar and the tannins effect me - So I opt for a vodka & soda with fresh citrus and herbs.  No sugar and its very social.  Also between drinks, have a glass of water to avoid next day hangovers.

3. If you do find yourself(ves) with said hangover, grab some milk thistle which aids our livers in detox mode.  Trust me its golden.

4. Start with a vegetable purée or broth soup before dinner or lunch.  This will keep appetite at bay and seriously whats better than SOUP?

5.  Dessert: Try a little bite of everything rather than large helpings - I find even the smallest bite will satiate you in the same way a larger amount would.  Also reach for the dark cacao raw chocolate and tell your family all about the health properties. 

6. GIVE THANKS: Maybe go around the table and have everyone mention ONE thing they're grateful for.  Don't want to name names - try putting them in a hat and reading later!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to YOURS.

rbn, Josh & Boots.

xoxo